Barn Notes
‘The Cat’ Gets Back to Calder Winner’s Circle
Double G Stable’s 10-year-old gelding Tour of the Cat may or may not have nine lives, but the remarkable Florida-bred by Tour d’Or showed plenty of life Sunday at Calder Race Course going wire-to-wire for a two-length victory in the seventh race under jockey Jose Rivera II.
Tour of the Cat ran his career record to 68-17-12-12 and earnings of $1,049,466, most earned during the first half of his career from late 2000-2004 for trainer Myra Mora, who claimed him for $25,000 at Calder out of his debut on Nov. 11, 2000 on behalf of Double G owner Sue Gannon.
While Double G has owned Tour of the Cat continuously throughout his remarkable career, Mora and her prize charge went their separate ways after Tour of the Cat finished eighth in the $2 million Golden Shaheen Stakes (G1) in Dubai in March of 2004.
Although always keeping track of his career from wherever she was, Mora was not to be reunited with Tour of the Cat until after a sixth-place finish in a turf race at Gulfstream Park on Apr. 20 before Sunday’s victory after being in the care of several trainers over the last four years.
“It’s great to be re-united after so long,” said Mora Thursday morning. “Sue (Double G owner Sue Gannon) called and offered to let me take him back since I decided to come back here this year and was given stalls.
“Rudy Wolfendale, (previous trainer) sent him to me in great shape and ready to win. All I did was run him. He may be 10 years old but he doesn’t act like it…more like five or six. It’s great to have him back. He was such an important part of my life.”
Tour of the Cat’s early career took some interesting turns, highlighted by his runner-up performance in Hialeah’s Flamingo Stakes (G3) in 2001 behind Thunder Blitz, although he didn’t make it to Churchill Downs to challenge contemporary Monarchos in the Kentucky Derby (G1) that spring.
Except for his trip to Dubai and a seven-race campaign at Delaware Park in 2006, Tour of the Cat has campaigned exclusively in Florida with much of his success coming at Calder where he has posted a 38-13-6-6 record for earnings of $686,266 while sprinting and going a distance on dirt and turf, including seven stakes victories here. He scored another important victory in the Richter Scale Breeders’ Cup (G2) at Gulfstream in 2003.
Sunday’s victory came in a one mile and 70 yards optional/claiming test in which he was entered for an $18,000 tag with no takers. “I wouldn’t think there are a lot of people out there ready to deal with a horse that has 10-year-old issues,” said Mora, referring to the possibility that Tour of the Cat could be claimed.
As for what is next for ‘The Cat’ Mora said, “He’ll pretty much communicate to us when he’s ready to run again. He can do anything, long short, turf dirt, so it will be just a matter of what races are available when he’s ready. He’s happy training, and as long as he shows he wants to run, we’ll let him keep going.”
